New premium SUV from Force Motors

[lazy]

[Mods: please merge if existing thread; though I couldn't find one]

Business Standard reports a new SUV coming this year from Force. See the article below.

Interesting points/claims : 10-15 L segment, new platform, Daimler engine, 7 seater.

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Force Motors to launch premium SUV this year

Force Motors to launch premium SUV this yearSwaraj Baggonkar & Bs Motoring / Mumbai May 6, 2010, 1:04 IST
Move another instance of renewed interest in the segment.
Force Motors, the Pune-based automotive company earlier called Bajaj Tempo, would take a plunge into the two million-strong passenger vehicle market for the first time later this year, with the launch of a sport utility vehicle (SUV) positioned in the upper-mid segment.
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The Abhay Firodia-led company, which makes tractors, three-wheelers, light and heavy trucks, has indigenously developed an SUV that will be positioned in the Rs 10-15 lakh bracket. This price segment does not have any players presently, with the exception of higher variants of Tata's Safari and Mahindra's Scorpio.


Force Motors has even sourced a Daimler engine (the company owns the Mercedes brand of vehicles) to be fitted in the new SUV. This new vehicle, which has been built on an entirely new platform developed by the company will come with the option of seating five to seven people.

Parts from outside
To keep costs down, the company has decided to source certain, but not critical, parts for the SUV from outside India, mainly from Chinese or Taiwanese suppliers. Plastic parts for the interiors may fall under this agreement, according to a senior company executive.
Prasan Firodia, managing director, Force Motors, said, “A substantial part of the vehicle has been developed in-house using indigenous expertise. We are targeting the final months of this (calendar) year or the early months of next year.”

Usually a new product developed from scratch, including the platform and the additions made to the manufacturing plant (except for a volume generating vehicle), costs Rs 600-800 crore. The company declined to provide financial details of the project.

The new SUV would be produced at the company's Pithampur plant in Madhya Pradesh, from where it also makes heavy trucks in association with MAN Nutzfahrzeuge, one of Germany's largest commercial vehicle makers. Force and MAN hold equal stakes in the joint venture company called Man Force Trucks, which makes the trucks.

Despite having a variety of products under its fold, Force Motors has a negligible share of 0.15 per cent of the domestic auto market. The company is better known in the passenger three-wheeler space, with products having its popularity in the interiors of the country.

It recently launched a four-wheeled light cargo vehicle called the Trump to compete against products such as Tata Motors Ace and Mahindra Maxximo. The company produces mini-buses and multi-seater passenger vehicles.

Segment revival

The Rs 10-15 lakh SUV segment has been largely overlooked by manufacturers due to inadequate interest, the market being largely skewed towards compact cars, sedans and utility vehicles (vans). In addition, manufacturers were forced to focus on the volume-generating compact car segment.

The segment will see renewed interest over the next 12-15 months, with Mahindra, Tata Motors and SkodaAuto developing vehicles for this category. M&M has spent Rs 700-800 crore in developing an all-new SUV, being built on an entirely new platform.

Tata Motors is reportedly working on a new version of the Safari. The company has been tight-lipped about the project. Czech car maker SkodaAuto will launch the Yeti SUV in the range of Rs 12-15 lakh in the second half of this year.
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[mpksuhas]

Well, so now this after the Padmini chinese mini SUV. Read somewhere in forum that Padmini claiming booking of 500 or so, intresting. But then this Force motors SUV is in 10lac+ range. Need to see how many people will be keen on that.

[KALINGA]

Now it seems the SUV war has started.

Tata :- New Safari
Mahindra :- New world SUV
SKODA :- Yeti
Premier :- Rio
Force :- (??) SUV

Except "RIO" all new SUV are 10+ Lac range.
Its better for us (Customer) that many player are jumping into that bracket.
A great news.
BTW which Daimler engine sourced by Force motor?
Is it the same crde engine "Om611 Crdi 125bhp" ?
A detailed discussion about that engine can be found in the below thread :-

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/4x4-te...ax-gurkha.html (Om611 Crdi 125bhp For Trax Gurkha?)

More info on the OM611 is available at :-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_OM611_engine

[HammerHead]

IMO Force SUV for 10-15lacs is a bit on higher side. When companies like Hyundai/Maruti could not crack Rs.10lac code, I don't see Force cracking it either.

Force could have build a mini SUV of the size of Skoda Yeti and price range starting at 5lacs. I think the speculated price i.e. 10-15lacs will kill it on the day it will be launched.

Anyways best of luck to Force, at least we will have one more SUV other then Safari & Scorpio, to explore in that price range

[directinjection]

Originally Posted by KALINGA

Now it seems the SUV war has started.

Tata :- New Safari
Mahindra :- New world SUV
SKODA :- Yeti
Premier :- Rio
Force :- (??) SUV

Except "RIO" all new SUV are 10+ Lac range.

Mahindra is also developing a Rio-type, sub-4-metre compact SUV that'll be priced at around Rs. 6 lacs.

[ashutoshb]

An 'Indian' product is always welcome. But, pitching their product above the segment leaders (safari, scorpio) is a daring step!

[drsnt]

force motors is well footed in taxi commute as their trex product which is having good sales, if tata once produced sumo which is now purely a taxi vehicle and later produce safari then IMHO force motors should not be under estimated, and in long run we can expect to have a great product with VFM

I just remembered one of my friends 3-4 yrs back converted his trex into a small office with every luxury creature including a sofa cum bed and he was happy with as the original interiors were spartan and he never had any second thought of throwing them out and get what he wanted inside, plus vehicle was able to get repaired anywhere roadside and being a govt contractor he regularly went into rural areas and this is what its primarily made to do.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by KALINGA

Now it seems the SUV war has started.

Tata :- New Safari
Mahindra :- New world SUV
SKODA :- Yeti
Premier :- Rio
Force :- (??) SUV[/url]

You know why right? Profit margins are F-A-T on SUVs which basically command a premium price, despite offering old technology. The 13 year old Tata Safari top of the line is more expensive than a base Skoda Laura. A Scorpio VLX AT is what, 12 lakhs on the road? Think of the margins.

I'm personally happy to hear of Force Motors new SUV, but will add that they need to work VERY hard. Mahindra & Tata have left Force behind in the UV game. Customer expectations, the overall standards of fit, finish, reliability and customer service have increased 10X, especially in the 10 lakh rupee segment. Force dealers are either inexistent or lousy. Good news is, Force has a good engine and a great knowledgebase in the 4x4 department.

@ Force : Please also rejuvenate the marketing, production & supply of the Gurkha. It'll give the Mahindra Thar a run for its money!

[CARDEEP]

Originally Posted by GTO

You know why right? Profit margins are F-A-T on SUVs which basically command a premium price, despite offering old technology. The 13 year old Tata Safari top of the line is more expensive than a base Skoda Laura. A Scorpio VLX AT is what, 12 lakhs on the road? Think of the margins.

I'm personally happy to hear of Force Motors new SUV, but will add that they need to work VERY hard. Mahindra & Tata have left Force behind in the UV game. Customer expectations, the overall standards of fit, finish, reliability and customer service have increased 10X, especially in the 10 lakh rupee segment. Force dealers are either inexistent or lousy. Good news is, Force has a good engine and a great knowledgebase in the 4x4 department.

@ Force : Please also rejuvenate the marketing, production & supply of the Gurkha. It'll give the Mahindra Thar a run for its money!

. Plus, where are the dealers to sell the car, & how will the private owners react to sharing A.S.S. space with taxi driver/owners (in Delhi most Phatphat Seva operators run Force Motor people's carrier).

I was also interested in Gurkha after going through one of member-friend's ownership experience, but could not locate any in Delhi & would desist from driving 50-100 kms to get my vehicle serviced.

To cut short, Force Motors have a long task in hand before they can launch the SUV.

[avishar]

What about ICML?They can target this segment too(7-10 lakhs).They have a dealership network in place,a proven product and a good R&D team.

[KALINGA]

Originally Posted by avishar

What about ICML?They can target this segment too(7-10 lakhs).They have a dealership network in place,a proven product and a good R&D team.

Yes you are right !!
ICML have an option to crack that price band.
They have quite good *** center and dealer network.
I had read in an auto magazine that they are developing a world SUV .
Sorry forgot the magazine name. But when they will bring the SUV ???
The war already started...

[Animesh]

I am yet to see a Premier Rio on road. There is just one dealer in Mumbai and the brand still carries the old bagagge. Will this really be the disruptive car that would create another segment in the already crowded (some people might not agree) called compact SUVs. The average pricing around INR 5 Lacs can be enticing to some, but would it really be the wolf in sheep's hiding or is it really a naive sheep. This remains to be seen.

One thing is for sure however, Premier would have low cost structure and thus can really turn on the heat of their PR machinery is running on well. Rio is the same care (with little modification) as the one sold in China by Zotye Motors. That car sells about 1 Lac every year.

I look forward to see Premier resurrect itself and do more than have the old Yello-Black taxis running on Mumbai roads.

[pamiboy]

Was it an abortive announcement by Force motors?
May be just to creat some excitement and keep them in the news before the entire country forgets about them.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by pamiboy

Was it an abortive announcement by Force motors?
May be just to creat some excitement and keep them in the news before the entire country forgets about them.

Nope, it wasn't an abortive announcement at all. Here's a link to the other thread with scoop pictures of their Chinese SUV being tested.

[adg_andy]

here is the latest update on their SUV, "Force One".

Force Motors enters Personal Vehicle Business, teases Force One SUV